Pastel is my favorite media. When painted on velour, it's hard to ship a completed work - pastel particles might dust dust off even when sprayed with fixative and carefully packed. Velour paper was created like specially for painting pet portraits, it is soft and easy to work with.
I have been painting all my life since I remember myself. When I was a child, I read a book where story hero Karandash painted pictures, which become alive as soon as they have been finished. I thought if I will learn to paint really good, my pictures will become alive some day too. This child dream still lives deeply in my heart. I know it will never happen, but I feel addicted to magic of painting and drawing, because it makes our life so emotional and colorful.